The Anatomy of a Revolution in the Social Sciences: Chomsky in 1962. Link to the abridged version of the 1989 paper by the noted linguistics scholar E.F.K. Koerner cited below. This work suggests that Chomsky's theories may not truly have been revolutionary, and that other factors may have been involved in his meteoric success. First-rate scholarship by the primary figure in the history and historiography of linguistics.


The "Chomsky-Bot." Visit this verbal equivalent of "Deep Blue," which tirelessly generates look-alike, sound-alike Chomskian prose, just in case the world needed any more. As noted in the "33 Reasons" piece, the only other author honored with such a "Bot" has been the semi-fraudulent occultist seer Aleister Crowley.

On Chomsky: A "Study in Total Depravity." A deep and insightful examination of this system's many flaws by the computational guru and multi-faceted expert Cosma Shalizi, with an emphasis on how they may also reflect the flaws of a single individual.

"AntiNoamy." A considered attempt at an overview of this entire controversy, aimed at demonstrating that Chomskian linguistics is a superficial study. Its British author, Raeto West, is something of a right-wing on-line gadfly, but in this instance he offers a serious, straightforward, and non-political analysis.

"Minimalist Explorations." This "technical lecture on linguistics" by Chomsky allows the man to become his own worst witness. Rambling, punctuated by Chomsky's frequent "er's" and poor speaking mannerisms, and frequently close to incoherent in this recording of a lecture at University College, London, as transcribed by Raeto West.

Could Chomsky Be Wrong? An entire other website chock full of still further links and sources on this subject, ably maintained out of Clichy, France, by Timothy Mason.

Beyond Chomsky. Another website on this topic, featuring scholarly critiques of Chomsky's theories. Yet further proof that this debate will not go away any time soon, with contributions by Paul Cant, Carolyn Hartnett, Bruce Richman, the site's webmaster Bernard Sypniewski, Victor Yngve, and many others.

Performative Speech Acts in Linguistic Theory: The Rationality of  Noam Chomsky. By Robert de Beaugrande. A closely written, point by point, and ultimately devastating critique of Chomsky's theories, almost as ponderous as the theories being criticized, but with frequent bursts of light. Repays close study.

The Bemjamin Lee Whorf World Wide Web Site. Where Chomsky muddles in murkiness, Whorf almost inevitably sheds light.  Find out more here.

Chomsky's Rebuttal of Whorf: The Annotated Version.  A devastating, point-by-point critique of Chomsky's error-riddled attack on Whorf.

A Debate about the "33 Reasons." Link to a public document on deja news presenting an exchange of views between the author of "33 Reasons Why the Chomskians Are Mistaken" and several critics.

A Collection of Articles about Chomsky's Politics. Many different Chomskian controversies are examined here from a point of view ranging between independent and libertarian/right wing. The Cambodian dispute is probed in detail, as are alleged exaggerations about hunger in America and Chomsky's influence among the young.

Chomsky's (mis)understanding of human thinking. Claiming four separate areas where Chomsky is mistaken—science, arithmetical ability, general knowledge, and neurophysiology—computer scientist and chemist Yehouda Harpaz assails the basis for TGG theory. A challenging though somewhat arbitrary treatment.

Bits about psycholinguistics. A further critique by Harpaz of the closely related Chomskian field of "psycholinguistics," consigning much of its theory to "myths," "reasoning errors," and "blatant nonsense." Likewise, both challenging and somewhat arbitrary.

The Chomsky Hoax. As described by its author, Paul Bogdanor: "Articles and documents exposing the dishonesty and fanaticism of extreme left-wing propagandist and genocide denier Noam Chomsky." Very little linguistics here, but a remarkably exhaustive account of Chomsky's political and personal side.

Printed Resources (Bibliography)

Andresen, Julie T. 1989. Skinner and Chomsky thirty years later. Historiographia Linguistica XVII: 1/2. 145-165.

Aarsleff, Hans. 1970. The history of linguistics and Professor Chomsky. Language 46. 570-585.

Aarsleff, Hans. 1971. Cartesian linguistics: history or fantasy? Language Sciences 17.1-12

Chao, Yuen Ren. 1968. Language and symbolic systems. Cambridge (Eng.): Cambridge University Press.

Chao, Yuen Ren. 1968. A grammar of spoken Chinese. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Dostert, Léon. 1972. Descartes in language. In M.E. Smith (ed.): 1972: 44-49.

Faust, George P. 1970. Review of Chomsky's Aspects of the theory of syntax (1965). General Linguistics 10.43-47.

Gross, Maurice. 1979. On the failure of generative grammar. Language 55. 859-885.

Hall, Robert Anderson. 1970. Some Recent Studies on Port Royal and Vaugelas. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 12.207-233. (Reprinted by J. Benjamins, 1987)

Hall, Robert Anderson. 1977. Some Critiques of Chomskian Theory. Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 78.86-95. (Reprinted by J. Benjamins, 1987)

Hall, Robert Anderson. 1987. Linguistics and Pseudo-Linguistics. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Hawkey, Richard L. 1970. A critique of certain basic theoretical notions in Chomsky's Syntactic Structures. Folia Linguistica 4.198-209.

Herdan, Gustav. 1967. The crisis in modern general linguistics. La Linguistique. 2:1.27-33.

Koerner, E.F. Konrad and Tajima, Matsuji. 1986. Noam Chomsky: a personal bibliography, 1951-1986. (with the collaboration of Carlos P. Otero) John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Koerner, E.F. Konrad. 1989. The Chomskian 'revolution" and its historiography: observations of a bystander. In Practicing Linguistic Historiography. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam/Philadelphia. (the unabridged version of the on-line selection listed above)

Lamb, Sydney M. 1967. Review of two works by Chomsky. Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen. 69.411-415,

MacCorquodale, Kenneth. 1970. On Chomsky's review of Skinner's Verbal Behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 13.83-99.

Maher, John Peter. 1982. The Transformational-Generative Paradigm: A silver anniversary polemic. Forum linguisticum 5.1-35.

Mehta, Ved. 1971. John is Easy to Please. Ferrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, (originally a New Yorker article)

Putnam, Hilary. 1967. The "innateness hypothesis" and explanatory models. Synthese 17.12-22.

Richards, I.A. 1968. So much nearer. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World.

Robinson, Ian. 1975. The New Grammarians' Funeral: a critique of Noam Chomsky's linguistics. Cambridge (England): Cambridge University Press.

Smith, M. Estellie (ed.). 1972. Studies in linguistics in honor of George L. Trager. The Hague: Mouton. (Janua Linguarum, Series Major. no. 52.)

Steiner, George. 1975. After Babel: aspects of language and translation. 99-109, 170, 286-87, 464-65, 471-72. Oxford (England): Oxford University Press.

Weydt, Harald. 1976. Noam Chomskys Werk: Kritik - Kommentar - Bibliographie. Tübingen: G. Narr.

NOTE: This bibliography is in an early stage and has largely been thrown together at the last moment after four months of work on this website from two major sources: Hall and Koerner. Two exceptions are Professor Chao's Chinese Grammar and the I.A. Richards volume. The author knows of other works that ought to be included but cannot immediately put his hands on them. Improvements and additions will definitely be made over the months and years to come, and all suggestions for other appropriate material are earnestly sought and most truly welome.